Join a walking tour in your city.

“Phone in my pocket and earbuds in place, I soon had renowned Paris expert Jay Swanson in my ear telling me his favorite places to eat while pointing out the city’s lesser-known Space Invaders mosaics. Later, guidebook author Lily Heise whispered secrets to me about Pigalle’s most romantic enclaves. I stopped for coffee right in the middle of the tour at a café I had wanted to try and picked the audio tour back up when I was ready to begin again. I was hooked and had learned my lesson: Always book a walking tour first.”

“In Helsinki, I joined a walking tour on a freezing winter morning. I ended up chatting with a fellow traveler from Germany, and after the tour we had lunch together at a cozy local canteen the guide had recommended. That salmon soup was unforgettable- and so was the feeling of not being alone in a new place.”